Padres Notes: $100 Million All-Star Heading to IL, More Roster Cuts, Nick Castellanos Happy Again

The San Diego Padres beat the San Francisco Giants, 3-1, on Monday behind five shutout innings from right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler in an impressive Cactus League showing.

The performance from Buehler couldn't have come on a better day, as manager Craig Stammen revealed before the game that right-hander Joe Musgrove would open the season on the injured list as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.

“He’s most likely going to start on the IL this year," Stammen said. "This was part of the plan. We knew he was going to have to take some time off, we knew we were going to have to get him ready for the entire season, and not just Opening Day.”

Buehler almost certainly locked up a spot in the Opening Day rotation after Monday's performance, but Stammen said he wasn't going to announce any decisions until the day before Opening Day.

"We'll probably pick spots [in our rotation] the day before Opening Day," Stammen said.

"We're gonna be smart, we're gonna be patient and we're gonna try to make the best decision we can make with all the information."

In other news, the Padres made two more roster cuts on Monday, reassigning two catchers to minor league camp. The Padres now have just three catchers and 54 players at Major League camp with less than a week and a half to go until Opening Day.

Finally, new Padres outfielder/first baseman Nick Castellanos seems to have found his joy again after a tumultuous 2025 season with the Philadelphia Phillies that ultimately ended in his release in February. Castellanos joined the Padres on a veteran's minimum deal, and is having a great time at Padres camp while learning to play first base for the first time in his career.

“I would go through periods in Philly where it would be a job,” Castellanos said to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “I always respected the fact that I had a job and I had somebody paying me a lot of money. So I went to work every day, and I worked hard. I took pride in my job. But sometimes I had to really, like, look for the joy. Here, I don’t really find it difficult to (find) the joy with the setup right now.”

“I’m just really having fun learning,” he added. “The whole process is enjoyable. I don’t feel like it’s something I have to do. It’s something I want to do.”

Here’s more information on these stories and all the latest Padres news (click the headline for the full article):

Padres Announce Unfortunate Joe Musgrove Injury News Ahead of Opening Day

San Diego Padres Continue Roster Cuts, Reassign 2 Players to Minor League Camp

Nick Castellanos Feels He Has His Joy Back After Leaving Phillies for Padres

Padres Sale Could Lead to Blockbuster Trade, Free Agent Signing

Will Mason Miller Pitch for Team USA in WBC Final? Padres Manager Answers

Padres May Not Open Season With Fifth Starter in Surprise Twist

Padres Get Major Pitching News as Opening Day Nears

Padres' Opening Day Starter Decision Appears to be Coming Into Focus

Padres Tweets of the Day

Very nice 🙂‍↕️ pic.twitter.com/68ROSc7tHh
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) March 16, 2026

No days off. pic.twitter.com/6AKfmVlO1i
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) March 16, 2026

Update: Word now is David Bednar is likely out due to pitch count for Tuesday’s final but Miller may still be available https://t.co/uPyYfbt4PF
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 16, 2026

We have reassigned C Blake Hunt and C Anthony Vilar to minor league camp.

With today’s moves, we now have 54 players in Major League camp.
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) March 16, 2026

Your 2026 #Padres media guide cover: pic.twitter.com/m3LSkhQzUw
— Jeff Sanders (@sdutSanders) March 17, 2026

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